Author Topic: Pedersoli rolling block with tight barrel (Read 776 times)

JCP · « **on:** November 04, 2005, 09:22:53 AM »

Today I bought my youngest son a used Pedersoli RB rifle. It has a Pedersoli Soule sight with the long range staff and Lee Shavers Spirit level sight at front. It's a 45-70 with 30" half round half octagon barrel.

The barrel was badly leaded but it came right out with Kroil :grin: . The bore looks like a polished piece of glass . I shot it five times without any leading except the usual tiny flakes. The barrel seem to be very tight at the muzzle. I've not slugged it yet but a bore riding paper patch bullet that I have without the patch measures .445 and it's will slip into the muzzle with just a little resistance but will go in on the breech end a little looser. I like the taper bore but isn't that a little tight?

What do you guys think?
Thanks , Jack

marlinman93 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2005, 05:56:13 PM »

It sounds a little tight to me, but I guess the gun's performance will tell for sure. It would be interesting to slug it in segments, and get a idea of how it constricts, i.e.- whether it tapers down halfway, or just at the muzzle? Maybe it tapers gradually all the way? If it tapers gradually, and continuously down the bore, I don't think it would be all that bad, but if it constricts near the muzzle, it might cause a pressure jump that would give concern.

Lone Star · « **Reply #2 on:** November 05, 2005, 06:58:38 AM »

My 13-year-old Pedersoli RB has a bore of .454". It will not shoot PB cast bullets decently, but it aggs under 1 moa with RCBS 400s with GC, using 23-26 grains of IMR4227. I won several CBA matches with that rifle.

JCP · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2005, 10:53:13 AM »

Lone star, I wish my bore was .454. It actually checked out at .446 , that's .008 smaller than yours ,and it's shaving lead like crazy. Today I loaded lyman postells with front driving band covered and you still have to push the cartridge in the last 3/16" with the breech block and it's all you can do to get it closed. The shaved lead is very easy to remove with Kroil, but it's got to effect accuracy tearing up the bullets like that.

marlinman93 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2005, 11:21:43 AM »

JCP,
I have a possible solution, if you want to explore it. Lee makes a really nice mold for the .446 that I use with my .44 Sharps. It's a hollowbase 290 grain #445-290M, and it sounds like it would work for your gun. The hollowbase is very forgiving, and whether I shoot black powder or smokeless in my .446" bore, the bullet shoots accurately.
You would need to get a crimping die to crimp down the .45-70 cases to the .446 bullets, but I think this might be your only solution short of reboring the barrel. This is a pretty reasonably priced mold too.
Hope this helps.

JCP · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2005, 11:46:45 AM »

Thanks Marlinman, I might give that a try. It just makes me sick when I've got all these lyman molds and I love the long bore riders and was planning on my youngest son using it in some sort of competition. I'll make a paper patch mold for it or something. I could get a button rifled Green mt. barrel . I already have a 45/70 reamer. You'd think that some one that makes such a beautiful rifle barrel could get the size right. By the way, the groove dia. is .458. They must have reamers with all kinds of sizes of pilots :grin:

marlinman93 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 06, 2005, 01:05:14 PM »

I suppose you could also try turning it into a muzzleloading breechseater, by cutting the last 1 1/2" of the barrel, and then turning it until the rifling lines up again, and making the cut piece into a false muzzle. Then the muzzleloaded bullets would not shave leand coming out, and be more accurate too. This would be a lot of work to do, and more work for the shooter while shooting.
I've tried the hollowbase bullet cast from the Lee mold on other guns, just for fun, and it's pretty forgiving for bore variations.